Elevator device



y 1944- G. E. MULLINIX ET AL 2,354,217

ELEVATOR DEVI CE 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 9, 1941 i .5. 6/R0MULL/N/X,ALLEN HAMBLY,

INVENTOR5 BY 6% 8450M July 25, 1944. Q E MULU X ET AL 2,354,217

ELEVATOR DEVICE Filed Dec. 9, 1941 5 eets-Sheet 2 6/20 E MULL/N/X,ALLENE. HAMELY,

IINVENTORS BY @QMM Afrokwzx y 25, 1944- G. E. MULLINI X ET AL 2,354,217

ELEVATOR DEVICE Filed Dec, 9, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Wuhan u I mummm! 4 a6/:05 Muzu/v/x,

ALLEN E. HAMBL INVENTORS f4 10. @M c Arm/way.

Patented July 25, 1944 ELEVATOR DEVICE Gird E. Mullinix, San-Marino, andAllen E. Hambly, Montebello, Calif., assignors to Byron Jackson 00.,Huntington Park, C'alif., a corporation of Delaware Application-December9, 1941, Serial No. i2 2,22 4

7 Claims. (01. 294-90) This invention relates to well pipe elevatorsand: the like, and is directed particularly to improvements thereinwhich are calculated to reduce the manual effort involved inapplyingsuch devices to and removing them from the pipe.

Asis well known to those familiar with-oil well drilling operations, itis necessary to periodically remove-the string of drill pipe from thewell to replace a worn drilling bit. The. drill string is separated intosections, or "stands of from 60 to 90 feet in length, which are rackedinan upright position in the derrick. A member-of the drilling crewusually termed the derrick man, is stationed on a platform high in thederrick, to unlatcht'he elevator from the upper end of each stand ofpipe as it is disconnected from the drill string and racked in thederrick, and to latch the elevator about each successive stand as thepipe is runbackinto the well.

The task of the derrick man is most arduous when running the string ofpipe back into the well.. During this operation, as each successivestand of pipe is connected to the drill string, the drill string islowered into the well while supported in the elevator, until the upperend of the newly added stand is just above the rotary table. The weightof the pipe is then transferred from the elevator to the. pipe slips setin the table, and the elevator is then removed from the pipe and raisedin the derrick to pick up the next stand. Meanwhile, the derrick man hasmoved the next stand into position to, be engaged by the elevator. Inorder to save as much time as possible, the driller at the hoistcontrols prefers-not to decrease the hoisting speed by an appreciableamount as the empty elevator reaches the derrick man, thus requiring thederrick man to grasp the elevator as it approaches his level and draw ittoward him and latch it about the pipe while the elevator is travellingupwardlyiat a substantial speed. It'is thus apparent thatsplit secondtiming on the part of the derrick man'is required. For this reason it isof utmost importance that the elevator hang from'the support ing linksin such a position that it can-be grasped by the derrick man and latchedabout the pipe with a minimum of-efiort and in the shortest possibletime. The instant invention is directed particularly to this phase ofdrilling operations;

Well pipe elevators now inuse are of two general classes, namely: (1)those inywhich the supporting ears are formed on diametrically oppositesides of a -U=shaped body defining an opensided pipe recess, andin'which the open side" of.

the recess" is closed by: a door or gate pivotally mounted on the bodyon an axis at one side of the open recess; this type being generallyreferred to'as' .side-door elevators; and (2) those comprising. twosubstantially symmetrical sections meeting in. a diametric. planeextending. at right angles to the plane of the supporting. ears, andbeing hingedly connected-at the .rear' side of the piperecess andreleasably latched together at the front side. This type is usuallyreferred to as center latch or double door elevators.

It is characteristic of center latch elevators that as the sections areswung outwardly relative to each other about their pivotal axis; therear portion of the elevator moves toward the vertical plane of supportextending through the supporting. ears,.thus' shifting the center ofgravity of the elevator forwardly of that plane. This creates a tendencyfor the front side of the elevator to tilt downwardly to an extent toagain dispose the center of gravity in the aforesaid plane of support.This tilting. movement is an advantage in one respectfor the followingreason. Inasmuch as the supporting ears are each formed on one of theelevator sections, the opening movement of the sections increases thedistance between the ears, thus causing the elevator links toassumedownwardly diverging positions with respect to each other. The tendencyof the links to return to their normal suspended positions tends toclose the elevator if the links are both suspended from a-single hook,and, even if the links are separately suspended at laterally spacedpoints on a multiple hook, the closing tendency is usually sufficient topreventthe elevator from remaining fully open unless it tilts downwardlyin front. It will be apparent, however, that when the front portionofthe elevator is tilted downwardly to dispose the pivotal axis in aninclined position, the. weight of the elevator constitutes a force; onecomponent of which exerts a turning moment about the pivotal axis inopposition to the closing force exerted by the links.

For the foregoing reasons, it has been customary to allow center latchelevators to break down, or tilt downwardly in front, in order tomaintain them in open position while being raised in the derrick to pickup a stand of pipe. This practice has the disadvantagahowever, ofrequiring the derrick man to tilt the elevator back to upright, ornearly upright, position in order to align the pipe bore of the elevatorwith the pipe before the elevator can be latched on the pipe.

The instant invention has as its principal object the provision of anelevator having an improved balancing arrangement, particularly for acenter latch elevator, whereby the elevator when in open position willhang in the most favorable position for quickly and easily applying itto the ipe.

A further objectis to provide, in conjunction with the aforesaidbalancing arrangement, means for releasably maintaining the elevator inopen position.

A still further object is to provide means for normally preventingobjectionable tilting of an elevator, which means will permit theelevator to be tilted when desired. A still further object is to provideelevator balancing means which is adjustable at will to maintain theelevator, when it is open, either in upright position or inclined ineither direction byany desired amount.

A still further object is to provide an elevator having meansincorporated therein for exerting a force yieldingly maintaining. theelevator in open position, the arrangement being such as to require notonly slight manual effort to effect .the initial closing movement of theelevator sections, and the aforesaid force being rendered inactive uponsuch initial closing movement,

A still further object is to provide elevator balancing and spreadingmeans which may be applied to elevators now in use without alteringtheir design.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects are attained will beapparent from the foregoing detailed description of a preferredembodiment of the invention and amodification thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the upper portion of an oilwell derrick in the region of the derrick mans platform,. illustratingthe position of a stand of pipe about to be picked up, in accordancewith one form of practice widely used, and showing the elevator intilted position just prior to being latched on the Fig.2 is a viewgenerally similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating the position of a stand ofpipe when a fingerboard is used, the elevator being shown as equippedwith balancing means in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view adjacent the derrick floor, illustratingthe inclination which the elevator must assume with respect to the linkswhen picking up or laying down a stand of pipe;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an elevator and set of links equippedwith our preferred form of balancing means;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the elevator shown in Fig. 4, the majorportion of the figure being taken substantially on line VV of Fig. 4,and the rear portion of the elevator being broken away on substantiallythe'line V-V of Fig. '7 to illustrate details of a preferred form ofyieldable spreading means;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the elevator in closedposition;

Fig. 7 is a vertical view taken on line'VIIVII of Fig. 5, showin theyieldable spreadingmeans in elevation;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the balance strapshown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6;

Fig. 9 is a front view of an elevator similar to that shown in Fig. 4but equipped with an alternative form of spreading means;

Fig. 10 is a rear view of an elevator, illustrating still another formof spreading means.

In order to clearly illustrate the variety of conditions under which theelevator must be applied to and removed from a stand or section of drillpipe, there are shown, in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, three typical operatingsituations. In Fig. l, the stand of pipe I is inclined away fromthecenter line of the derrick 2, being temporarily supported in itsnearly upright position by resting either against the inner edge of thederrick mans platform 3, as shown, or alternately supported by thederrick man standing on the platform. This practice prevails when nofingerboard is used. The elevator 4, suspended by the usual links 5attached to the drilling hook 6, is being raised in the derrick in openposition preparatory to being latched around the pipe I. It will beobserved that the forward side of the elevator is tilted downwardly tomaintain the elevator open, as previously explained. When the elevatorcomes within reach of the derrick man, he grasps the handles 1 and tiltsthe elevator upwardly while drawing it toward the pipe, and finallylatches it around the pipe. Inasmuch as the elevator is being raised bythe hoisting mechanism during this time, it is apparent that the derrickman must act very quickly in order to raise the forward side of theelevator more rapidly than the bodily movement of the elevator as awhole. The amount of tilting movement required to align the bore of theelevator with the pipe is, of course, less when the pipe inclinesoutwardly, as in Fig. 1, than when it inclines inwardly, as shown inFig. 2. However, even under the former, more favorable condition, theoperation of raising the forward side of the elevator to align it withthe pipe imposes an arduous task on the derrick man and tends to slowdown the operation.

In accordance with another widely used method of handling drill pipe inthe derrick, a fingerboard ID is mounted in the derrick in' a positionparallel to the inner edge of the fourble board and spaced inwardlytherefrom, as shown in Fig. 2. The fingerboard and the inner edge or thefourble board define a recess open at one end, into which the upper endsof the standsof pipe are successively inserted, the fingerboard servingas a temporary support for the upper end of the stand. It is customaryto mount the fingerboard as close as possible to the center line of thederrick without interfering with the'vertical travel of the travellingblock, hook, links andelevator, and consequently a stand of pipe leaningagainst the fingerboard is inclined-inwardly at its upper end, as shownin Fig. 2. It will be apparent, therefore, that if the elevator shouldbe raised in the derrick in the inclined position shown in Fig. l, thederrick man wouldbe required to tilt it upwardly through a veryconsiderable angle in order to align it-with the pipe when the latter isinclined inwardly as in Fig. 2. To overcome this difficulty,we-haveprovidedmeans, shown herein in the form-ofa bal As the drillingof the well proceeds} it is nec-' essary to add sections of drill pipeto the drill string from time totime. Itiscustom'ary to pick the new.sections up from the derrick floor by the elevator 4-,: in. the mannershown in..-Fi'g. '3. Also; Whenlaying down sections: ofsdr'ill pipe,..as

when a change .is madeto a different size ,of;pipe',

balancing means provided. for. normallyi. maintaining the. elevator. in.upright; position must. be capable. .o f. permittingv tilting. thereof;when .desired. .7

Referring now to.Figsl.4 ,to. 8..inclusive,;;we have showncour. novel.balancing meanslastapplied to a wellekn'own type of. elevator. 4 .suchfiSLiSI.uSed:fOI' handling external, upset drill ipipemthat .is, pipehavingfla taperedupset at the,.,baselof; the.too1 joint. The. elevator.comprises; generally. ,a pair of sections [.5 and .IB. pivotallyinterconnected at the rear .sideby. a, hinge .pin 11., .and. having alatch. 1.8.. for detachably. securingthe. forward .sidesof. the sectionstogether about .a,pipe. Semi+ circular bores .l9 and. are formedintheinner walls1-..ofxthe. respective .sections and cooperate to form acircular pipe recess whenthe sections ,are .ClQSfid. As ,mostclearly,showninl li '7, down.- wardly taperedseat'll isformed in the here, andconfor'msto the tapered upset 22-0n. the .pipe, I (Figs. 1 and. 2) tosupport the, pipe inthe, elevator. Each Section is;,provided. with a.pair of outw rd y, pr ie t ngupp n ll werv e s and 4 defi in n l eces enwh chthe lower eyesof the elevator links 5 arereceived andreleasablyconfined by, detachable; retainer blocks 25. A pair ofhandles 1 projectoutwardly from the forward sides of, the sections and a, handle 25 isformed at, the rear side of, one section, to aid in. the manualmanipulation ottheelevator. For a more complete description of thedetailed construction of the elevator, .ref erence,is made t e sPa n .N2. 7 63.. o Her e E Grau;. ate ;J i1 ,1937, Beierrinsnow t urlno l evatrl la cine means, it wil l be observed that a tension member, shownhereinin the form of a straplZ, is connected at one end to the forwardside of the elevator section; and at its other end, to the shank portionoi the corresponding linkjl In s fa a t r i ali n en o th s w ned it hviu r sum rar usi rms and having varying characteristics a We prefer,however, that itv be flexible and, also resilient in the direction ofitslongitudinal axis, to cause it to exert. a predetermined lifting,force ,on the forward side of the elevator, "but at gthe. same time becapable of yielding to' perinit the ele vator to tilt when su ch tiltingis desired-as, for example, when picking up or layingv down a section ofdrill pipe. We have 'found that astrap composed of rubber, Neoprene, 'orotherresilientmaterial" is entirely satisfactory,"although it wouldbeffeasible to em'ploy'a coiled extension spring if desired. 'A'non-extensible, flexible member, such as a length of cable or chain, mayalso be employed, but in that case it would be necessary to detach oneend when'laying down or picking up pipe.

i As shownmost clearly'in Fig.8, the preferred form of balance'strap l2comprises-a strip of rubber Neoprene or the like, preferably rectangularincross-section. An end link 30 ofa short'series of chain links isattached toone end of thestrap, either by molding-it therein if thestrap is molded to shape, or:by inserting the ends thereof in.a- .holeformedin the strap, if thezlattenisrcutl from sheet stocks A f-shapedclip '13 lis.v attached to the opposite end :of the chain, and isadapted to bGI'il'lSGItGdflthIOllQhffi hole'nfo'rmed-i in the elevatorfor-that purpose, preferably ;in ithe right-hand handle I, :as.indicated at-32 in'Eigs, 5 and 6.

l vThe opposite'endbfthestrap l2 may beat:- itached to the link 5 in.anysui'table and. convenient manner. By way of example,;:wei.have showna T-head 32 on'the end'of. the strap,formed by. recessingthe'roppositeedges thereof atf-33..and '34. 'Azsplit' clamp 35./is.secured "to. thelink 5, and; is provided with a U-shaped clip 36;.either formed integralwith the clamp Orsecuredtheret'o' asby riveting,..and,having apa'irof:spaced tabs between which the neck portion :of :the'zT- head 32 onthe strap'is adapted to be retained. Thearrangement i's such that thestrap may be readily attached toor removedfrom. the clamp b'y slightmanual: distortion-thereof,. but is firmly .he'ld. against. inadvertentrelease; i.

A's'is most clearly shown in Fig; 4, itlhas been found'advantageous toWrap the strap at least one,v turn aboutthe shank of the link,'.wherebythe frictional engagement ofthe strapwithzthe link reduces vthestressonthe T-head 32 and on the clip 36.. Inasmuch as the+shank of thelink'is circular in:cr.oss-section, and of substantially constantdiameter, the. clamp-=35 may be adjusted 1 both a'ngularlyrabout the ashank and vertically along the shankrto causethelelevator to' be. heldin any desired: position when- 0pm; In this manner, when the elevator isto be' used on a drilling rig having no fingerboard, as in Fig. l, theclamp maybe so adjusted on'the link as to cause thestrap tomaintain theelevator-in a slightly downwardly inclined position with its boreparallel-to the standof pipe; On the other hand if the'elevator is to beused on a drilling rig equipped with a fingerboard so that, thestands-of pipe are'inclined inwardly when the elevator is appliedtheretdas in Fig. -2, the clamp 35 may be adjusted to a higher posi tionon the link.- or rotated in a clockwise direction to wrap more ofthestrapzaround'the shank of the link, and thus cause the strap to maintainthe elevator with its bore parallel tothe pipe.

As set forth in the introductory remarks, an elevator of thecenter-latchtype tends toclose due to the spreading or the links outwardly'of theirnormally suspended positionsw Itis therefore desirable to provide, inconjunction with the above-described balancing means, other meansresisting this closing tendency. Various-expedients may be employed forthis purpose, butwe hav found that most satisfactory results areobtained by the use ofaspring-pressed detent or catch which may berenderedinac'tive by slight manual pressure on the elevator handles inclosing direction:

Referring to Figs; .5, Band -7 of the drawings,

'it will be'observedfiwith particular reference to The opposite end ofthe spring "is 46 to the remote end of the plate, to receive the spring42 and retain it firmly in place.

As shown most clearly in Fig. '7, the hinge pin 1], which pivotallyconnects the two body sections together, extends through, upper andlower hinge lugs 50 and on thebody section I5 and a central hinge lug 52on the body section Hi.- .A cam projection 53 is formed on the centralhinge lug 52 in the horizontal plane of the spring 42, and is providedwith a forward, steeply pitched .cam surface 54 and a rear cam surface55 of relatively flat pitch (Fig. 6). A relatively wide clearance :isprovided at.56 (Fig. 5) between the hinge lug 52 and the adjacent wallof the body section I5, to receive'the projection 53 when thebodysections are closed.

:It will be observed that the outward flexing of the spring detent .42is limited by engagement thereof with the wall of the recess 4|, and itwill be noted in particular, withreference to Fig. .6, that a slightclearance is provided between the curved-over end 43 of the detent andthe wall of the hinge lug 52. Thus the only frictional engagementbetween the detent and the hinge lug is during the time the detentengages the cam projection 53. In this manner, frictional wear. on thedetent and hinge lug is reduced to aiminimum, and the detent is whollyinactive once it .hasbeen disengaged from the projection and hence itoffers .no resistance to closing ofthe elevator after the initialclosing movement has been effected.

. The operation of the spring detent will be apparent from the foregoingdescription. When removing the elevator from the pipe, the sections arespread apart as far as permitted-by the usual opening stops (not shown)on .the body sections. This opening movement is slightly more thansufficient to cause the cam projection 53 to pass to the right of thecurved end 43 of the spring, to the position shown in Fig. 5'. Inpassing the spring end, the cam surface 55 on the projection engages thecurved cam surface 44 on the spring and flexes the spring outwardly.Because of the relatively flat wedge angle of the cam surface 55, theflexing of the spring offers no substantial resistance to openingmovement of the elevator sections. However, when the steeply pitched camsurface 54 on the opposite side of the projection engages'the springend, the force required to flex the spring inwardly is considerablygreater. By suitably shaping the cam surface 54 and by the selection ofa spring of proper strength, the resistance offered thereby may be suchas to only slightly exceed the closing force exerted on the elevator bythe links. Hence, upon application of slight manual pressure on theelevator handles 1 in a closing direction, the spring may be flexedinwardly to allow the projection 53 to pass it. After the projection haspassed the spring, the closing of the elevator is effected withoutinterference by the spring.

In Fig. 9 there is shown an elevator 4' generally similar to theelevator 4 of Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 and equipped with a balance strap [2,but embodying an alternative means for yieldingly maintaining; theelevator sections spread apart. In this embodiment, the central portionof the male hinge lug 52 on the body section I6 is removed to providespace for a torsion spring 60 encircling the hinge pin 11. The oppositeends of the spring bear against the respective body sections I5 and I6,yieldinglyurging them apart, but permitting closing of the elevator uponapplication of suflicient manual pressure. on the handles 1' inclosingdirection. .Thisarrangement is effective for the intended purpose, butis less desirable. .thanthe spring catch shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7v forthe reasonthat the forcerequired to overcome the spring pressureincreases as .the elevator sections approach closed position. In thepreferred embodiment, on the other hand, no resistance to closingmovement is offered after. the cam projection 53 has passed the curvedhead 43 on the spring. In Fig. l0,-another alternative form ofspreading. means is shown. In this instancethe opposite ends of an.extensible and resilientmember such as a strap62 of rubber or the like,similar to the balance strap I2, is attached in any suitable manner tothe outwardly extending ears 53 and 64 on the respective elevator bodysections 65 and 66, and extends around the hinge lugs at the rear sideof the elevator. In this manner, when the elevator is closed the strapis extended and stressed, and exerts a force tending to open thesections. The ends of the strap may be conveniently attached to the ears63 and 64 byproviding a hole in each end thereof through which extendthe bolts BI and 68 which releasably secure the link-retaining blocks 69and 10 in place. This form of spreading means has been found to beentirely satisfactory, and is exceedingly simple and inexpensive. It canbe more easily applied to an elevator than the torsion spring 60 of Fig.9, which requires removal of the hinge' in H" to install the spring.However, the spreading strap 62 of Fig. 10 is subject to the sameobjection as the torsion springnameiy, it is increasingly stressed asthe elevator sections approach closed position, and hence requires theapplication of increasingly greater manual force to close the elevator.

From the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention and two modifications thereof, it will be apparent thatrelatively simple but highly effective means have been provided forinsuring that the elevator is' maintained in proper position to enablethe derrick man to quickly and easily apply it to the pipe bysimply'drawing it toward him, without having to tilt it into alignmentwith the pipe. The

balancing means is adjustable to permit the elevator to be suspended inany desired position, to meet varying field practice, and in thepreferred embodiment' 'the resilient balance strap permits tilting ofthe elevator when desired, without dis: turbing the connection betweenthe strap and the elevator or the link.

The provision of means for releasably maintaining the elevator sectionsin open position, in conjunction with the balancing means, not onlyinsures proper alignment of the elevator with the pipe but also preventsinadvertent closing of the elevator due to vibration or swaying as itascends or descends in the derrick. It will be appreciated, however,that it may not be necessary in all instances to provide the spreadingmeans, and that the balancing means may alone be used if the particularelevator on which it is used does not tend to close when held in uprightposition. It will also-be appreciated that in some instances thespreading means may be used without the balancing means, if theconstruction of the elevator is such that it does not tend to break downwhen open. I s

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that theynovelbalancingand spreading means may assume various forms, and it is to be understoodthat the forms shown and described herein are solely for illustrativepurposes. Hence the invention is not limited to the precise form shownherein, but is of the full scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

III a W611 pipe elevator, the combination of a pair of body sectionscooperating to define a pipe-receiving bore, means pivotally connectingsaid sections together for relative horizontal swinging movement, latchmeans for releasably connecting the free ends of the sections together,a pair of supporting links each pivotally supporting a respective bodysection for tilting movement about a transverse axis, and a resilienttension member connected at one end thereof to one of said links at apoint offset vertically from said transverse axis and having its otherend connected to one of said body sections at a point offset laterallyfrom said transverse axis.

2. In a well pipe elevator, the combination of: a pair of body sectionscooperating to define a pipe-receiving bore and being pivotallyconnected for relative horizontal swinging movement, latch means forreleasably connecting the free ends of the sections together, link meanspendently supporting the elevator for tilting movement about atransverse axis, and means normally resisting such tilting movement andcomprising a resilient tension member extending between said link meansand one of said body sections, said tension member being adapted toyield upon application of an external force tending to tilt the elevatorabout said transverse axis.

3. In combination, a well pipe elevator of the type comprising a pair ofpipe-encircling sections pivotally interconnected for relative swingingmovement about a normally vertical axis into open and closed positions,suspension means pivotally supporting said elevator for tilting movementabout a transverse axis, said sections being so related to each otherand to said suspension means that relative pivotal movement between thesections changes the center of gravity thereof with respect to saidtransverse axis whereby the elevator tends to tilt about said transverseaxis when the sections are spread apart, and

, resilient tension means connected to said elevator and to saidsuspension means at points offset laterally and vertically,respectively, from said transverse axis, for normally preventing tiltingof the elevator about said transverse axis.

4. In combination with a well pipe elevator and a pairv of elevatorsupporting links from which the elevator is suspended, a flexible,resilone end thereof to one of said links and having its other endconnected to said elevator at a point offset laterally from the verticalplane of supporting connection of the elevator with the links. 6. In awell pipe elevator for use with a pair of supporting links, a pair ofsections connected at one end, supporting means on each of said sectionsforwardly of said pivot and ofiset laterally from the bore of theelevator whereby opening movement of the elevator sections causes saidpivot to move forwardly with respect to the plane of said supportingmeans, thereby causing the elevatorsections to tend to tilt forwardly,resilient means interposed between said supporting means and one of saidsections for yieldingly restraining said tilting movement, whereby saidelevator sections tend to move toward the closed position, and meansacting between said sections to yieldably resist said closing movement.7. A device as set forth in claim'6 in which said closing-resistingmeans is effective only during the initial closing movement of saidelevator sections when in the fully open position.

GIRD E. MULLINIX. ALLEN E. HAMBLY.

